People fined for violating virus rules in group photo in Turkey

Turkish authorities have fined five people in the eastern Elazığ province a total of 16,000 Turkish liras (around $2,000) for taking a group picture on the ground that they violated social distancing rules that were introduced to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

A total of 17 people gathered for the picture, with the authorities having identified five of them after the photo was posted on social media accounts.

The police in Elazığ spotted the photo taken in front of a business and determined that the individuals that appeared in the picture violated the rule that people should stay at least 1.5 meters apart from each other.

The authorities tracked down the people in the picture and were able to identify five of them. They were eventually handed a hefty fine for violating the rule.

The police are trying to identify the remaining 12 individuals.

Turkey has introduced a series of strict rules shortly after the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the country.

Schools, restaurants, shopping centers, entertainment venues and pubs have been closed and social and sport events have been suspended. The business hours for supermarkets have been rescheduled and those venues are requested to allow a limited number of customers in at a time.

Inner city buses run on 50 percent seat capacity and sanitation teams carry out frequent disinfection in public places, buildings and public transport vehicles.

People are also required to wear protective face masks when in public areas.